Boennighausen's Croup Powders

Boennighausen's croup powders - a set of five powders all in 200 hundred potencies first two of Aconite and next three of Hepar and Spongia - were more celebrated with older homoeopaths. Boennighausen has given directions of it's use which one can find in his lesser writings. The exact obedience to his directions has always proved itself most perfectly effective and I have been assured of it in my clinic in last 6-7 years, though I have replaced powders with distilled water phials.

Croup is basically dry cough originating in upper respiratory tract, you will find congested pharynx and laryngitis while chest will be clear on auscultation while parents will complain of "Ghar-Ghar" sound don't be deceived by this narration and rush to "Antium Tart. " Always believe your acumen to use your stethoscope you will find no wheezing neither any crackles in chest, so what is this "ghar-ghar"? This is basically a stridor a common feature of URTI.

I will add one more medicine in Indian context for dry cough and that is our Occimum Sanctum in low dilution. Another indian medicine famous for cough is Justicia, Dr. S. C. Ghosh in his Drugs of Hindoosthan has mentioned the famous saying " Where there is Basaka there is no cough" But for me it is for the cough originating in LRT rather than croup.

The fact that Larynx and throat are affected, at times make croup more resistant to treatment until some anti-syphilitic is given.

Yours

Dr E.S. Khan